I try not to once I've found someone who knows how to cut curly hair. The lady I like used to work for First Choice who moved the store into a Wal-Mart. After awhile they said they'd be moving again in a couple of weeks, but I didn't see them at the new place and they were already not at the Wal Mart any more, so I had to try to find them. On the 5th I was looking for them again and decided to give up and take the chance on a new one. I pulled into this strip mall where I saw a sign that just said "Salon". I decided to take my chances and get a haircut there because I was ready to take the scissors to my hair by myself, it was getting so long. I asked the receptionist if she knew where the First Choice ladies went to and lo and behold my favorite not only worked there now, but was actually on her way in right then. So I finally found her after I gave up looking. It seems to me that the hairdressers all know each other in this town because I described the 2 ladies I like and they knew both their first names. The funny part of the whole experience was that they said they'd been the same location for 38 years. I never even noticed them before and I shop in that area every week. I guess it was fate that I found them at all.

Oh, Lillie, how fun. You make a cute couple with a plate of Sushi between you. It's hard to tell for sure, but looks like your grand children are practicing Karate. They live in Japan, right? Do they love Sushi?

The sushi class was tons of fun. We had some Sunday night for dinner. Then Monday for lunch and dinner. Now it's gone. boo hoo. We'll have to make more of it.

Yes my grands live in Japan. The oldest one doesn't like sushi so he orders a bento box (all cooked fish). The middle one loves sushi and will just about eat his weight in sushi. The youngest one orders a bento box as well.

None of them practice karate any longer. The oldest quit when he turned 18. He had achieved a black belt. The middle one just received his 3rd or 4th degree black belt. He is 18 now and getting ready to go to university in California. It will be nice to have one of them back in the states. The youngest one had a purple belt, but may have just received her black belt. She quit practicing karate when school let out for summer. She is now involved with scuba diving. My son is an avid scuba diver and he it trying to get one of his kids interested in it. Neither of the boys took to it.

Well last night I crashed. I got my head so bouncing around yesterday that I couldn't focus on anything. By the time I went to bed there was nothing but tossing and turning. So with a sleep aide I think I've hit the reset button and am feeling a little more focused today. Hopefully, I'll actually be able to complete a few things today.

Update on Laurie. Some of you might remember that Laurie was diagnosis with Acid reflux a few months ago. Well in typical Laurie fashion at her check up it turn out that her throat was worst than the day that day than on the day the doctor originally saw her. It was so swollen and what not that they couldn't see her vocal chords. So the medications they had her on aren't working. So today she is having a special monitor run down her nose and attached for a 24 hour study, to try and capture a picture of what's going on. Please pray that whatever it is really shows itself.

Jo, I think it is so neat that you have developed such a wonderful bond with your granddaughter. My Grandma and Great Grandma was very significant people in my life because of the time they spent with me. Since I lived with them they of course treated me different than a child who came for a visit, which wasn't always terrific but I also got the best of them. Learning to sew was one of those best.

Lillie, How cool that you and your darling did this together! I loved the photograph because now I have faces to go with names. You look just like the fun loving lady I imagine you to be. It is very cool that your grandchildren are all so talented. I hope that the daughter takes to scuba diving. What a great thing to have in common with your dad.

Well, the wash has stopped so I'm going to go be productive. Then I'm going to work on my Alaska Quilt, which is driving me batty. I keep making stupid mistakes on such a simple pattern. I'm using Venetian Dreams from Easy Quilts but doing it like Nana did her flower quilt and I just keep messing up. Hopefully today will be more productive. I also have a lunch date with a friend from work to catch up. So I guess I'll have to get out of my pj's.

Lillie, I heard a thing on NPR about Bento Boxes being pretty good on the nutrition side of things. Also, there was an art to preparing a Bento Box with food that was not only nutritious but also well presented like chefs do here in the states at fancy restaurants, i.e., veggies that look like animals, etc. Wish our kids school lunches were that good. Hope your son finds a life-long scuba partner in his daughter. What a lovely and interesting sport that is. It's also a very marketable skill that may come in handy for her later in life, depending on what she chooses to do. How fun that one of your grandsons will be in CA soon. You're not so far away from there. That all 3 of them are accomplished at Karate is interesting. Was that a personal choice or is it part of the culture to learn it there?

Since the middle grandson loves sushi and will be in CA, maybe he will be able go to gramma's house for one of the breaks for a visit and get some home made sushi.

Robin, I had a night like that, too. I couldn't fall asleep to save myself until around 3AM. I had a bad bout of sciatica all evening and finally got that to calm down, thinking I'd finally fall asleep, but was restless after. Glad you finally got some rest.

How awful for Laurie to have to wear that monitor down her nose for 24 hours. I bet she's glad it is summer break. Can you imagine trying to do anything regularly with something like that going on? Poor dear. I hope they discover the root of the problem and have an easy and quick remedy for her.

Since I lived with them they of course treated me different than a child who came for a visit, which wasn't always terrific but I also got the best of them.

Robin:I also lived with my grandparents ( until I was 10 yrs. old). My grandmother didn't teach me to sew, but I was around it all the time w/quilting or sewing. I remember getting so aggravated having to keep trying on dresses she was making for me. I learned to sew in Home Ec in probably 7th grade. I wonder if Haley will do any embroidery since she is home.. I sent her home with some needles,thread, scissors and some yo yo's I had made. I told her she could teach her friends how to embroidery. I told my granddaughter that I hope we are healthy enough to have Haley back next summer. She is already talking about it. Oh my goodness, I hope they find out soon what is wrong with Laurie.

I changed my hair color today, from blonde to strawberry blonde or light red. I think I like it. George says it looks good.

Lillie: I am so glad to see a picture of you and your husband; like Robin I like to have a face for the name. I have never tasted succhi and don't think I want to even tho' I like most seafood

We had a storm Friday that knocked our home phone and internet down and has just now been repaired. Terrible service in my book, but happy to be back online.

By the looks of things I've missed lots of exciting things.

Darlene,

So sorry to hear about your toe, and crazy sunburn. Ouch! It was great to read that you sold a quilt, and also the plans for September sound like fun, and what a perk it could be to stay at the friends sis's house and have some girlfriend time.

Robin,

Once again prayers are with Laurie.

I have to say that after having company and running off to SCarolina, I had trouble winding down. I was so tired, but restless like I should still be going and doing. Very discombobulated.Did you feel that way too? Hope your quilt turns around in the making for you and becomes easier to finish. Looking forward to seeing it. And I hope the beading for the garter goes well too.

Jo,

Isn't it fun to have totally new hair sometimes? Strawberry blonde sounds real pretty. I haven't tried gel nail polish. I saw an advertisement from Sally Hansen products for it. I have trouble with the paints I use sticking to regular polish so I rarely polish my nails. Latex gloves aren't an option for me because they make my hands sweat and break out like a prickly heat. I'll have to try the gel and see if that works. They said it doesn't chip.

Lillie,

What a great picture of you and your hubby. You make a lovely couple and just like Robin expressed, you look like the happy, fun loving person you appear to be in "print". It's quite impressive that the grands have stuck with karate to have black belts and above. And the sushi and balto box info was quite interesting. I have never tried sushi. Mike hates seafood, so we rarely go anywhere that even serves it. Crazy for living in Florida. LOL.

Linny,

So sorry to read you are still in such pain. I hope you get some relief soon. Again very interesting in reading your addition to the balto box with the carvings of the veg's. It'd be like opening a gift to see that.

Diane,

Do we have eggs?

Finally we got some sunshine without rain today. First time in weeks it seems. My sis said it's cooler here than in Ohio. LOL. She passed up on coming 4th of July because of the heat so we both had a chuckle over that. It's been a really nice breezy evening here. Usually this time of year it's so hot my glasses fog when I step outside so I'm eating it up. The rains have brought some heavy stainding water in the outback of the yard and I can hear alligators croaking at night. They have a distinctive sound and I've heard two in different areas. Glad we have the fence finished as a deterent. Worry a bit about the neighbors chickens drawing them in to their house area though. They have five small kids running around too. Have to do a protective neighbor watch for them.

It's been crazy since we got back from our short vacation. We went to work for some people as a favor to a designer to work them in. Just a small job that would have taken two days. When we got there they announced that we could only work until noon. Now it's 4 half days? Seriously? And then they were complaining about how long it took the other trades to finish. LOL. Wonder why? By the time they set up, they could work two hours and clean up. I just have to laugh. If this becomes a trend I suppose in addition to detailing our contracts, now we'll have to specify that we can work 8 hour days to fulfill it, or price accordingly. LOL. The joys of being in business.

Guess I'd better get off here.I've got 5 days of email to download from the internet being down. Have a happy.....

Stephanie, glad you're back up and online again. That had to be so frustrating. It's good to hear from you again.

That's scary about having alligators in your back yard. Neighborhood watch for gators. Now that's something. Watch out for kids and pets. Hope they stay away from your homes.

It rained here a lot, too, but not like down by you. How many inches did you get? Glad you got some sun today. It gets very depressing without occasional sunshine. We had a nice breeze today, too. It was almost cool outside this evening...almost. The drainage ditch behind my yard is full of water and there's water draining into the gutter in the street all day long now. We're saturated and all over you can see ruts in the yards from where people who normally pull up on their grass to park are sinking into the soft mushy soil. That is normal for us, although this is the wettest July I can remember for a long time. August is usually this wet. It's okay, though. Our water aquifer was really low.

That's stupid to only let you guys work half a day. You'd think they'd want you to finish fast. Then to complain about how long it's taking. Geesh. It's not like you can pick up and go to another job and get anything done with the rest of the day, is it?

Sounds like you've had your share of rain too.I'm not sure how many inches of rain we got, but at the back of the yard by the fence the big dogs were neck high in water. Our aqua filter should be doing well for the future season.

Linny t:

That's stupid to only let you guys work half a day. You'd think they'd want you to finish fast.

They put me in mind of that country song lyrics: "Life is short, beer is good, and people are crazy." LOL. Have to have a sense of humor about these things sometimes. They make for great stories to the relatives that live normal lives. LOL. My older brother just cackles at some of the tales. He's had a very planned out professional career and finds these things quite entertaining.

I hope your Wednesday is starting off with a bang. (in a good way of course)

Today for me is the last day this week I can truly work on odds and ends tomorrow has to be about cookies for the shower. And I have to slide into the Kiwanis luncheon.

Today I hope to finish catching up my laundry, work on my quilt a little, weed eat the back yard, put the shower present together and work on the garter some more. It's coming along and the wedding is not until the middle of August. I feel so sorry for the bride's Mama. She just lost her Mama so she is going through all of that and her daughter's wedding is the Saturday before school starts, which is always a busy time for a teacher.

Stephanie, Your absolutely right some people are crazy. Who in their right mind would think that you could do a two day job in two half of days. That makes no sense. It sounds a lot like people who don't know what working for a living is really like.

Jo, I think it is so neat that you are already planning your next summer visit with your granddaughter. It gives you plenty of time to decide on projects for her and you to do.

I hope your neighbors chickens don't become alligator food. They tend to remember well where they have eaten.

Thank you all for the kind thoughts and prayers for Laurie. Hopefully there will be some answers in the near future.